The Milford-Orange Times is continuing its election-year tradition of asking the candidates to respond to questions about what they would do for the residents of Milford and Orange if voters elect them. Election Day is Nov. 3.
Q: What will you do if elected to help make your district a more affordable place to live? Be as specific as possible.
State representative candidate Brooke Hopkins, Republican, District 114
Brooke Hopkins
Affordability is one of the biggest reasons I am running for state representative. Our friends and neighbors throughout Derby, Hamden, Orange and Woodbridge are feeling squeezed by the cost of everything from electricity, property taxes, housing, groceries, to simple everyday necessities. My focus in Hartford will be on the costs state government can actually do something about and in many cases, ones which our state government has exacerbated through bad legislation.
First, I will make lowering energy costs a priority. Connecticut residents should not be used as a blank check for costs created by state policy. I support greater transparency on utility bills, stricter oversight of rate increases and removing state-mandated policy costs from electric bills wherever possible. The most direct example of this is the public benefit charge which supports our state’s green tax initiatives which the utilities are able to pass onto consumers. Our consumers deserve meaningful relief, not just Band-Aid solutions implemented in an election year.
Second, we need to address the relationship between state mandates and local property taxes. Hartford should not require towns to implement programs or policies and then leave local taxpayers to pick up the bill. I will oppose new unfunded mandates and work to eliminate or fully fund existing mandates that unnecessarily increase municipal costs. Every dollar Hartford forces a town to spend has to come from somewhere, and too often that means the taxpayer.
Housing also has to be part of the affordability conversation, but I do not believe affordability is achieved by imposing one-size-fits-all development mandates on every community. I will work to change Public Act 25-1 which was voted on by my opponent and gave us mass housing proposals such as the ones in Woodbridge at Fountain Street and Beecher Road.
I will also work to reform Connecticut’s 8-30g law. While I support responsible housing options, I believe they should be made through local communities and account for a community’s roads, schools, water and sewer capacity, public safety and existing infrastructure. If development requires major new municipal expenses without sufficient resources to pay for them, those costs eventually reach taxpayers too.
Finally, I will support meaningful tax relief and approach every new spending proposal with a simple question: What will this ultimately cost the people I represent? My nearly 30 years working with children and families, along with my experience in local government and as a small business owner, have shown me how government decisions affect people in their everyday lives.
Making Connecticut affordable will not happen through one bill. It requires looking at taxes, energy, housing, state spending and municipal costs together. If elected, I will bring that perspective to Hartford and work to make sure families can afford to stay here and build their lives here.